At least nine people were burnt alive and 15 injured when a moving bus caught fire near Tauru in Haryana's Nuh district. The incident occurred around 2 am on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway.
A local resident said that after noticing the fire, some people chased the bus on a motorcycle and asked the driver to stop. The locals also informed the police and fire department.
Congress candidate from Gurugram constituency Raj Babbar interacts with a bereaved family member of one of the victims after of the bus fire, at a hospital in Gurugram. "The news of the death of many passengers in the tragic incident of a bus catching fire in Haryana's Nuh district is extremely sad. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured," President Droupadi Murmu said.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has expressed grief over the loss of lives after and assured the best possible treatment to those injured. Former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar also expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident.
The bus was carrying around 60 people, all residents of Punjab, who were returning from pilgrim towns of Mathura and Vrindavan. All of them are relatives, police said.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and a probe is underway, a police official said.